Chapter 89: Cheat Code

Some time later.

Gyeonghui Palace, late in the evening.

"How on earth did you hear that rumor again, really?"

Kim Jo-sun, whose face was drawn with exhaustion, grumbled as he left the building.

Time had flown by without him noticing, and it was only after he saw that the sun had disappeared beyond the palace walls that he realized how late it was.

"Ugh... I thought I might finally get to leave early today...!!"

After confirming no one was around, Kim Jo-sun began to wail in earnest.

For once, he’d thought he could leave on time without having to work overtime.

Serving as a secretary by King Jeongjo’s side and getting ground down day after day, he had long dreamed of a proper early finish.

But suddenly, here he was on the opposite side of Changgyeong Palace, at Gyeonghui Palace.

And it was all because he’d been summoned by someone even higher than Jeongjo.

‘So I hear you’ve been tasked by the King of Joseon to introduce an interesting new system?’

‘Pardon? How did Your Majesty come to hear of that…?’

‘Is that important right now?’

‘Ah, n-no, Your Majesty!!’

The one who dared block Kim Jo-sun’s early departure was none other than His Imperial Majesty, who had been residing in Gyeonghui Palace for far too long.

Who had told the Emperor about the coming introduction of a postal system in Joseon, Kim Jo-sun had no idea.

As it was, he was already being ground into dust by Jeongjo’s demands over the establishment of the Post Office, his mind nearly shattered.

And to make matters worse—

‘That system, I’ll give it my full support.’

‘Pardon? Did I mishear, or was that a translator’s error…?’

‘No. What I mean is, I, in all my glory, will be the one to launch Joseon’s “postal” system!!’

According to what the Young Master had said, the elderly Emperor was supposed to have calmed down and would soon return to Qing.

But recently, a horde of manpower from Qing had arrived, shattering all the Young Master’s expectations.

Well, at least since Emperor Qianlong spent most of his time at Gyeonghui Palace with his entourage, the Young Master had a little more free time than before, but still.

And in the midst of all that—

Just when did he sniff it out? Emperor Qianlong, usually keeping to himself, suddenly called in Kim Jo-sun, who was about to leave, and threw some new work his way.

Of course, refusing an imperial order was not an option.

He’d considered pawning the task off on the couriers if the Emperor wanted to send something to Qing, but that wasn’t the case either.

‘You want to send this across all eight provinces of Joseon…?’

‘Why not?’

‘N-no. I receive Your Majesty’s order…’

What the Emperor handed over was an edict written in his own hand, in Hanmun.

He wanted Kim Jo-sun to translate it into Hangul, affix his own seal, and then use the postal system to distribute it nationwide.

It wasn’t difficult, but for someone of Kim Jo-sun’s standing, it was a dreadfully bothersome task to take on personally.

But what could he do?

When the Emperor orders, a subject obeys.

And knowing that Kim Jo-sun was a close aide to the Young Master, Emperor Qianlong seized him and spent several hours boasting endlessly about his grandson.

The result: By the time Kim Jo-sun finally left Gyeonghui Palace, it was basically no different from having done overtime again.

Thus, his long-awaited early departure was gone with the wind.

"Ugh… My miserable life…"

When he was younger, Kim Jo-sun had no idea.

He simply thought it an honor, as a scholar-official, to devote himself to the nation and rise in the world.

He never imagined that under such a relentless superior, he’d be worked nearly to death, as if even several bodies weren’t enough.

And now, after barely escaping the king’s clutches for the first time in ages, the Emperor himself was giving him more work.

Why was the Qing Emperor still lingering in Joseon, and why, just because he was acquainted with him from a diplomatic mission, did Kim Jo-sun have to be summoned at every turn?

After living like this for so long—

And after endless early mornings and late nights, so much so that he hadn’t seen his precious daughter awake in ages—

Today, Kim Jo-sun finally reached his breaking point, his patience snapping.

"The Young Master always says, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’—was this what he meant… Ugh…"

After leaving Gyeonghui Palace,

Kim Jo-sun, bemoaning his fate, found himself banging his head against the palace wall without even realizing it.

Just then—

"Secretary Kim!! There you are!!"

Behind him, as he was on the verge of breaking down, a familiar voice called out.

It was the eunuch who attended the Young Master in Junghui Hall.

In an instant, Kim Jo-sun, ever the elite official, regained his composure like a pro.

"What is it?"

"Well…"

But the young eunuch, rather than explaining, simply thrust a sealed envelope at him.

He grumbled that he’d had to come all the way from the Cabinet to find Kim Jo-sun here.

"……!!"

As he held the envelope up to what little light remained, Kim Jo-sun froze.

In his eyes, which moments ago looked as lifeless as rotting fish, a spark of energy suddenly flickered to life.

"Um, sir…?"

"Ohohohohoho…"

Laughter that no one could have imagined from him just moments before now filled the air.

His back, which had been slumped in defeat, straightened up with newfound vigor.

"As expected, as expected… This is why it’s worth serving the Young Master!!"

"I-I’ll report to the Young Master that you received the item safely."

"Of course!! Make sure to tell him that Kim bows his head and offers the deepest gratitude!! Ha ha!!"

Rustle.

Hugging the envelope like a treasure after confirming its contents, Kim Jo-sun exclaimed in a loud, powerful voice.

The pitiful official, who had been sighing and lamenting his lot with a dying voice, had vanished without a trace.

And then—

"Haah. If I’d known, I would have written it a bit sooner."

After receiving a report on Slave No. 1’s shockingly dramatic turnaround, the Master showed a tinge of guilt in the pocket dimension study.

After finishing , ‘that person’ had taken an extended break, finding this excuse and that.

It seemed he felt sorry for having completely forgotten about Kim Jo-sun, who had lived off the fuel of his novels.

And likely, Kim Jo-sun wasn’t the only one in Hanyang restlessly searching for new amusement.

"My, my. But I’ll be back soon, so just hang in there a bit longer, okay?"

Of course, during that break, the Young Master himself suffered plenty over copyrights and the postal system.

On top of that, he continued to attend King Jeongjo’s Confucian lectures and kept up the grueling serialization of .

But in any case,

A writer’s virtue is to keep producing new works.

By now, the Joseon publishing market could no longer survive without his latest releases.

***

Some time later.

The Emperor returned.

Not long after Lady Choi paid a visit to the Gyeonggi Printing House and was greeted by Gye Deoksang’s boisterous laughter—

"Ha, ha-ha! It’s done! It’s finally done!"

"Did you deliver the item properly?"

"Of course!! This more than makes up for having worked us like dogs all this time!! Absolutely!!"

Gye Deoksang, who had struggled like a dog to establish the postal system nationwide as the Association President—

Well, the role of a government-backed guild is to offer full cooperation in exchange for state-granted privileges.

In truth, the foundation for this postal system had been built by the combined might of all the publishers and merchants unified under ‘that person.’

Thus, the hardship of Gye Deoksang, who had to manage them from the center, was not insignificant.

However, while Gye Deoksang was a greedy money-grubber, he valued his credit like gold.

He had an animalistic sense for precisely estimating the profits earned so far and those to come, thanks to ‘that person.’

‘President Gye, isn’t this a bit much for you to step in personally…?’

‘Shut your mouth!! Don’t talk about things you know nothing about.’

Silencing those around him who wondered if he was just being exploited by the government, Gye Deoksang devoted himself to ‘that person’s’ command.

And as a result,

‘That person’ had rewarded Gye Deoksang’s hardship with a prompt new release.

In a flash, Gye Deoksang’s eyes scanned the manuscript of the first volume faster than anyone else.

Then, slowly, he began walking purposefully somewhere.

"Are you heading out first?"

"Thank you for your hard work!!"

As Gye Deoksang walked toward the exit, the staff greeted him.

Since a government-commissioned job had just been finished that afternoon, the printing house was in a festive, end-of-work mood.

But—

"Alright, everyone, vacation’s canceled again!!"

Click.

A loud sound echoed as a huge lock was fastened on the printing house entrance.

To the workers who had endured days of overtime, it was like thunder from a clear sky.

"P-President?? What is—!!"

"Wasn’t yesterday the last of our overtime??"

"Weren’t we only supposed to work until we finished the government print job…?!"

A flurry of panicked shouts erupted inside.

These were people who had been whipped by Gye Deoksang to meet the deadline.

Having finally finished the government order, all they could think about was going home to rest.

But with the announcement of another round of full-on hellish overtime, it was no wonder they lost their minds.

However, when money was on the line, Gye Deoksang cared nothing for such circumstances.

"You there! If you have time to gawk, start drafting the advertisement! The whole of Hanyang needs to know the new release is out!!"

"A new release…? Wasn’t the  we finished yesterday the new one?"

"And you, woodblock team—into the workshop now!! You have two days to finish the gossip edition blocks!!"

"Gossip edition? Is this a new job?"

"This time, the goods are going to the provinces immediately, so it’s completely different from before!! Prepare to work as if you’re dead!!"

"Argh…!!"

No amount of questioning fazed Gye Deoksang once he’d switched on.

His animal instinct had already decided, no matter what it took, the new work must hit the market quickly.

In the face of the money-mad boss’s lust for profit, his subordinates could do nothing but get pushed to the brink.

"S-someone save us…"

"The back door—the back door’s open…"

A few employees even tried to slip out through the only open back exit.

But it was as if he had a third eye.

Whenever someone tried to sneak out, the money-mad boss would appear from nowhere like a ghost.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

"P-President…!!"

"I haven’t slept for two days either, and you young ones are slacking off… Get back to work!!"

"Eeeeeek!!!"

And so, the gates of hell opened once again at the Gyeonggi Printing House.

The workers’ blood, sweat, and tears wrung from them, the first edition of the new work was completed at a speed no one could believe.

"Wha…?"

"A new release to rival  and ?"

"W-wait, then…!!"

Some time later,

Readers across Hanyang learned of the king’s return, upon seeing the new advertisements posted at every bookstore in the city.

But this advertisement—

It wasn’t the primitive, word-of-mouth promotion or simple notifications of the past.

"What’s with this silhouette…?"

"Let’s see… Isn’t that the upper body of a helmeted general?"

At every bookstore and bustling area, the new release posters were decorated with a large silhouette in the center, piquing the curiosity of all who saw them.

"The main character of  returns, transcending time?"

"Wait, if it’s the general from , then could it be…"

Indeed.

Was it to reward the readers for his long break?

Or did he simply wish to surpass his previous records?

‘That person’ had just played his cheat code.

And it was a crazy premise guaranteed to captivate any Korean, whether now or two hundred years in the future.

And there was someone in Joseon who would be most affected by this cheat code.

***

"N-no…!!"

A little earlier than all this—

One evening at Heejeong Hall, a very rare scene was unfolding.

"Jo-sun!! How could you…!!"

The excited voice belonged to King Jeongjo.

And yet, the man who never lost his stern, solemn, and serious demeanor in front of his officials—

The one who, if his mood was ruffled, would berate his vassals from the throne without hesitation—

Why was he now glaring at Kim Jo-sun with a face so flushed?

The answer was likely the two new books placed before the king.

One was the , which he’d commissioned to a private publisher, and the other…

"You… you sly scoundrel…!!"

At that moment, Jeongjo’s pent-up feelings exploded at the subordinate prostrated before him.

But something was very different about his emotions from usual.

"You thought I’d actually like something like this after all your antics!!"

His words were scolding, but his body was honest.

Despite trying to keep his stern tone, laughter kept flickering at the corners of the king’s eyes.

Had Chae Jegong, who always followed the king, witnessed this scene, he would have doubted his own eyes.